Revenge is Sweet, Love is Sweeter
by xHinaLovex
Summary: After Naruto leaves Hinata for Sakura, Sasuke decides to introduce her to his world of revenge. Hinata hesitantly accepts and goes along with his plans. She soon finds herself falling for someone she would never have expected and finds that while revenge is sweet, love is much sweeter. Rated T for suggestive themes and language, though there is nothing explicit. Subject to change.
1. In Da Club

**Author's note: Anyone who knows me for my NaruHina stories will probably be disappointed to see that this is an ItaHina. Anyone who has favorited my SasuHina oneshot should actually enjoy this story a lot, I think. It is an Itachi x Hinata pairing, but there is a lot of SasuHina interaction, particularly in the first couple of chapters. Actually, she doesn't interact with Itachi until the third chapter so heads up for that.**

**Warning: In this story, Sakura is basically the bad guy so she is not shown in a good light. If you are a huge fan of hers, you probably won't be happy. Also, Naruto is Hinata's ex and she definitely says some bad things about him, just like most people who were dumped for someone else would say. It's not that I dislike Naruto, but he made an unfortunate decision in the story and she's not happy about it. Anything Sasuke says about him should be taken with a grain of salt, because they just have that kind of relationship where they insult each other all the time but actually love each other. If any of that makes you uncomfortable, then you do not have to read.**

**That being said, I hope you like the story. I've been wanting to write an ItaHina for a long while, but have been pretty focused on my other chapter story. It will still be my main focus, but these chapters are not as long and it's what I write on when I'm stuck on the other one so I figured I might as well post what I have for people to enjoy.**

**There's not going to be any kind of love triangle or hard feelings between the brothers, but there will be a little SasuHina mixed in with the ItaHina. With those warnings out of the way, on with the story!**

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><p>Revenge is Sweet, Love is Sweeter<p>

Chapter 1

"_I'm sorry, Hinata, I really am. I mean I care about you and everything, but you know how I've always felt about Sakura."_

Hyuga Hinata sat at the bar of a nightclub on a Friday night, watching her friends live it up on the dance floor. Usually she was a rather friendly drunk, but tonight it seemed the alcohol was just making her broody. Apparently a hard day at the office and watching your _ex-_boyfriend of two years make out with your whore of a pink-haired _ex_-friend (because, really, no friend did that to another) was not conducive to a happy buzz. She wondered at the blatant display considering Sakura usually kept Naruto at arm's length unless a certain Uchiha was nearby to witness it. Suddenly she felt a cool presence on the stool next to her and looked over to see said Uchiha had sat down. 'Ah, that explains it,' she thought to herself as she went back to mentally ranting about her failed relationship.

If he loved Sakura then what the hell did the two years they spent together mean? Was she just some place holder? When Naruto had finally acknowledged her decade long crush and asked her out during their final year of college, she had been so excited that she ignored the sinking feeling that it was too good to be true. After all, everyone always told her she was too hard on herself and Naruto was not the type of guy to take advantage of someone or lead them on. Or so she thought.

Two years of her doing everything she could to accommodate him – endless ramen, orange, and having to defend him to her family – and suddenly it's over. Nine months ago Naruto had called her up and asked her to come over because god knows it would be too inconvenient for him to have to leave his mess of an apartment to break up with her. Then, after letting herself in she heard him say, "She's here, I'll call you after. Love you." This was pretty confusing to her because the only family he had left was his godfather and although they care about one another, they are just not the type to tell each other they love one another at the end of a phone call.

Naruto then turned, gave her a smile, and saw the confused look on her face. Instead of reassuring her, however, he offered her a seat and proceeded to tell her that Sakura had come over the night before and confessed to him. Hinata knew that Naruto had harbored a crush on Sakura similar to the one Hinata had harbored for him. However, she and Naruto had been together for two years and she had long ago stopped feeling insecure about her pink-haired friend. Sakura had a borderline obsessive determination to date Uchiha Sasuke. Thus, the information that Naruto was spouting about Sakura and her newfound feelings for the blond was entirely unexpected. Baffled, it took a minute for this to sink in before it finally dawned on her.

"Wait, are you telling me you cheated on me?" she asked him, not entirely wanting to hear the answer.

His blue eyes widened and he was quick to say, "No! No, nothing like that! She wouldn't do anything like that until I broke up with you."

Oh. That was _so_ much better.

Ashamed that it took her this long, she finally realized what was happening. He was breaking up with her for Sakura. One of her supposed best friends had gone behind her back and stolen her boyfriend.

Now, Hinata was an understanding person. In fact, most people said she was too forgiving for her own good. However, she refused to forgive the pinkette. Why? Because she knew that Sakura didn't actually have those feelings for Naruto. She was still hung up on the Uchiha and after years and years of not getting his attention, she figured dating his best friend would make him jealous.

Of course, Hinata did not voice her suspicions aloud because she didn't want to sound bitter. If there was anything worse than people pitying you for getting dumped, it was people thinking you were bitter about the breakup. Hinata had her pride and so she sucked it up and just continued to hang out with their group of friends, plastering a fake smile on her face.

Understandably, it had been exhausting trying to keep up the façade for so long. At first it had been hard to convince her closer friends like Tenten, Kiba, and Shino that she was fine. Eventually, however, they relented and figured she would come to them when the situation finally hit her.

Oddly enough, the only person who really seemed to know that she wasn't okay was Sasuke. They had become better acquainted during her relationship with Naruto since Sasuke was his best friend. Sasuke appreciated that Hinata was quiet and didn't throw herself at him. Hinata recognized that Sasuke treated her a little nicer than he treated most people and appreciated the effort. Neither was very talkative and so they had formed a comfortable acquaintanceship, bordering on friendship.

Hinata was fairly certain that Sasuke was the only other person who realized what it was Sakura was trying to do with Naruto. She had refrained from telling even her closest friends that she was pretty sure Sakura was just using the blond in yet another attempt to get Sasuke's attention. On nights like these, however, she considered saying something since it was just so obvious. Sakura refused to let Naruto call her his girlfriend and had not mentioned her feelings for him since her "confession." The only time she seemed to willingly accept affection from him was when Sasuke was present. Now that he was here, Hinata braced herself for the overt physical display that was about to present itself.

Hinata had to admit that watching Naruto's attentions towards Sakura still hurt even after nine months. It wasn't that she still had feelings for him; rather, he showered the pinkette with affection that he hadn't even spared a fraction of for the Hyuga when they were dating. He doted on Sakura, practically kissed the ground she walked on and couldn't keep his hands off of her when she permitted him to touch her. When he had dated Hinata, she was the one putting in ninety-eight percent of the effort. It made the raven haired young woman wonder if he had actually cared for her at all or whether every date they went on, every time they had sex, he was wishing it was Sakura. _That's_ what really hurt her.

'Tch. Asshole,' she thought to herself. She was surprised when she heard a snort next to her. She turned to face Sasuke who was looking at her with an amused expression on his usually stoic face. Her eyes widened and cheeks flushed when she realized she had said that out loud and that he had heard her. How embarrassing.

"Wow. Didn't know you had it in you," he said, still smirking.

Hinata put her face in her hands. "Ugh. That wasn't supposed to be out loud. Maybe I've had too much to drink."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at that. He knew Hinata wasn't one to overindulge, especially not in public. And she was definitely not one to curse out loud. During her relationship with Naruto, Sasuke had learned that she had the patience of a saint.

"Hard day?" he asked.

She looked at him, grateful that he recognized that this wasn't her usual demeanor. The Uchiha was nothing if not observant, it seemed, since even Shino had failed to notice her bad mood.

She was also grateful that he would understand some of her frustration as he too had an important job in his own family's company.

"Yes. The Board came down hard on me today because they thought I hadn't been ruthless enough in some negotiations with a new company we decided to do some business with. They thought I should demand a lot more on their end because we are 'gracing them with our interest' or whatever they call it.

"The company I made a deal with is rather new, but extremely promising. Neji and I agreed that it would be better to treat them well now and foster a good relationship for when they reach their potential. The Board, however, is determined to think that I'm too 'weak' for my role in the company and is using their disagreement with this as yet more fuel for criticism. Neji's meeting with them tonight to set them straight about the whole thing."

Hinata was thankful that her father had agreed to the idea of her and Neji being groomed to co-run the company once her father retired. Hinata had worked hard to earn her place as next in line, but Neji was a natural at it and she had thought that he deserved it as well. Now, they worked closely together and appreciated knowing someone had their back in their cutthroat business environment.

Sasuke nodded his head, showing his understanding. He knew all too well how frustrating the Board could be. Those old men were always looking for something to criticize and growing up in the shadow of a perfect older sibling, Sasuke found himself the target of most of their criticism.

He looked over at the woman on the stool next to him and took in her unusual outfit for the evening. Usually Hinata came straight from work and would not bother changing out of her work clothes. Tonight, however, she was dressed more appropriately for the scene. She wore a plum colored top that fit her snugly and showed enough cleavage to entice without making her look exposed. With that she wore black skinny pants and some black peep toe pumps with silver studs on the heel. Instead of being pulled back into a bun, her inky tresses spilled over her shoulders and down her back, shimmering in the flashing lights of the club.

Sasuke had to admit that Hinata looked hot. It wasn't that her work clothes didn't look nice. On the contrary, Hinata knew how to dress her body and she always looked stunning and well put together. This outfit, though, made her look more relaxed, whether she was or not, and more approachable. Though she was still well covered, her clothes were a bit more revealing than usual and that bit was all Sasuke needed to remember how impressive her figure was.

Hinata noticed Sasuke's interest in her wardrobe and her face flushed again. The Uchiha noticed this, but was not one to apologize for checking someone out. Instead he smirked and commented, "Nice outfit."

"Hanabi made me wear it," Hinata explained.

"Hn. You're twenty-three and your little sister _made_ you wear it?"

Hinata sighed. "Well I've had more of a hard week than just a hard day and apparently Hanabi thinks I was too snippy with her so when I got home she barricaded me in the bathroom with these clothes and wouldn't let me come out until I changed. She even made me slide my work clothes under the door to prove I had changed. It was ridiculous."

"I don't understand what a change of clothes has to do with you having a hard week."

At this Hinata buried her face in her hands and mumbled something Sasuke couldn't understand.

"You're going to have to be clearer than that."

"She said that since I've been so stressed… um, well she said I needed to 'get laid.'"

The last two words came out as a squeak and although he had understood her perfectly, Sasuke was tempted to make her repeat herself. He rather enjoyed getting Hinata flustered and he was pretty damn good at it. He opened his mouth to tease her, but it quickly closed and morphed into a grimace as he followed her line of sight and caught where she had been looking. The sight of Sakura overtly grinding on his best friend was disturbing to the onyx eyed male. It also explained the rest of Hinata's bad mood and her earlier comment.

Sasuke leaned forward and said, "You know, if it makes you feel any better, I called Naruto an idiot for leaving you for her."

This was true. Months ago, when Naruto had informed Sasuke that he had broken up with Hinata for Sakura, Sasuke had been pissed. He had punched the blond and told him he was being stupid for throwing away someone like Hinata for the bitchy pinkette. The Uchiha had always thought that the blond took her for granted, but he was happy that Naruto finally had someone in his life who truly cared about him.

The Uzumaki had been orphaned as a young boy and his godfather travelled too much to be a responsible guardian. When they were around thirteen, Jiraiya had settled down somewhat and become more of a father figure, but Naruto had already had a lonely childhood at that point. Sasuke had been the one to point out Hinata's crush to his oblivious friend and, though he'd never admit it out loud, was pleased when his best friend had acted on that knowledge. He enjoyed her company and was glad that their relationship had provided a girl he could be around without worrying that she would drug his drink or throw her underwear at him.

The raven haired beauty smiled slightly and replied, "Thanks, but you always call him an idiot anyway."

"Hn. True. Though when he goes around pulling shit like that, it just shows you that I'm right."

Hinata sighed. "I don't know, it's probably better this way. If he hadn't then I'd still be oblivious and in a relationship with someone who was just using me." Her face turned darker. "If I'd have known that this was how he felt I would have just given him one of his godfather's nasty blow up dolls with a picture of Sakura's face taped to it and left it at that."

The Uchiha's eyes grew wide and he actually chuckled. He would definitely have to get Hinata tipsy more often.

Sasuke was really disappointed in how Naruto had treated Hinata and as he noticed Hinata's troubled face while she watched the ostentatious couple on the dance floor, he decided it was time to help both his best friend and the woman beside him. He would expose the lavender eyed woman to the thrilling world of revenge and at the same time show Naruto just what he threw away and why it was a stupid decision. It was low of Sakura to string Naruto along, and stupid of the blond to go along with it. If he didn't teach him, no one would.

With that in mind, the Uchiha leaned over further toward Hinata and spoke lowly into her ear. "You know, I know something that might make you feel better."

The Hyuga blushed, first at the rare sound of his deep laughter, then at the feeling of his breath on her ear. She turned to him with curious eyes, not even bothering to deny the fact that she was hurting. Lying to Sasuke was a fruitless endeavor. She tilted her head to the side and asked, "Hm? What would that be?"

Suddenly Sasuke's smirk widened into a sadistic grin and with a manic glint in his eye he said, "Revenge."


	2. Revenge?

**Author's Note: Here's my second chapter! I want to give a shout out to ninjaluver, 1, Yazie567 (love your photo btw), H. , moonlightclock, rcr, iivogelchen, misao97, and the guest who commented on the story.  
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**I also wanted to thank everyone who followed and/or favorited the story so far. I hope you enjoy this as much as I have enjoyed writing it thus far.**

**Also, I swear the story is ItaHina, but this another SasuHina filled chapter. I'm actually thinking about uploading these first two chapters as a oneshot for those folks who like SasuHina and not ItaHina. What do y'all think? **

**Do not worry, Itachi shows up in the next chapter! Enjoy!**

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><p>Revenge is Sweet, Love is Sweeter<p>

Chapter 2

Sasuke's sinister expression and the way he said the word sent shivers down Hinata's spine. He was certainly not someone to mess with. She put some distance between them and said nervously, "Um, no thank you. I don't think - I mean, that's not really something I'd know how to do. Sorry."

The Uchiha, however, pressed the issue. "That's no excuse, Hinata," he said as he re-closed the gap she had created. "I can teach you everything you need to know."

The Hyuga knew this was true. Sasuke had always had this strange obsession with revenge. Once, when they were fifteen Kakashi was supposed to drive him to a martial arts competition a couple of cities over. However, their sensei was notoriously late for things and this occasion was no different. Apparently Kakashi had assumed he would be able to get by the rules, but there was a new tournament director that year and he had refused to let Sasuke compete. The Uchiha was pissed and vowed revenge. A week later he had managed to round up all of his sensei's treasured Icha Icha books and burn them, including the special editions. This was not the only example, but it had always stuck with Hinata as it was the only time in her life she had seen a grown man weep.

"I'm sure you can," she said, "but it's just not who I am."

"Come on," Sasuke prodded, "are you telling me you don't even want to get back at him a little?"

Hinata almost scoffed. There was no "a little" when it came to Sasuke and revenge. It would be safer not to agree. "No, it's all behind me."

At that Sasuke actually did scoff. Her mood tonight had already proven it was not all behind her. However, he realized the need to switch tactics.

"Alright, Hinata, what if I said it's for his own good?"

The lavender eyed girl gave him a skeptical look. "You're saying _my_ revenge would be good for _him_?"

"Yes. You need to teach him a lesson. Otherwise he'll never learn."

"Oh? What lesson would that be?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You can't play dumb with me, Princess," Sasuke said, making her blush at the nickname. "I know that you know what Sakura is trying to do. Do you really think it's okay to let him continue like that? This way you get him back for how you were treated and Sakura gets exposed. It's a win-win situation."

The Uchiha was certainly persuasive, she had to give him that. Still, he was also downright devious so she was hesitant to accept his offer. "What if I say I'll think about it?" she countered.

Sasuke immediately backed off and nodded, knowing that she would come to see things his way. Considering the way her day was going and her higher than usual alcohol intake, he figured it was just a matter of time before something sent her over to his side.

Meanwhile, Sakura was on the dance floor glaring daggers at the dark haired pair at the bar. She couldn't believe Sasuke was talking to that dreary Hyuga. He had even laughed at something she said! That was unheard of!

The pinkette had been watching the Uchiha since the moment he entered. She was lucky Naruto never seemed to notice the fact that Sasuke's presence always coincided with any affection on her part. He was usually so distracted by the ministrations that he didn't pay any attention to who was coming or going.

Jade eyes narrowed dangerously as she saw Sasuke lean in to say something in Hinata's ear. Her blood pressure spiked when said Hyuga blushed at whatever it was he said. This was not supposed to be happening. Sakura had burned two of her close friendships for that man, first Ino and then Hinata, and she was not about to lose him to one of them. Especially when she had just stolen her boyfriend in order to get Sasuke's attention.

Sakura had to admit, she had been jealous of Hinata while she was dating Naruto. It wasn't because she was dating the blond, but rather because the lavender eyed woman started to spend more time with Sasuke as her boyfriend's best friend. The pinkette had watched with interest and growing trepidation as the Uchiha and Hyuga grew closer. It was all entirely platonic - Hinata would never cheat on Naruto - but she couldn't help but resent the fact that they were spending more and more time together.

Sakura had been sorely disappointed when her new "relationship" with Naruto did not lead to any more time spent with Sasuke than before. She considered the possibility that it was because she was not officially Naruto's girlfriend, but she hadn't gone that extra step because she knew Sasuke would never consider dating her if she was actually tied to his best friend. He was loyal in his own way to those he cared about.

When she saw Sasuke make Hinata blush yet again, it was the last straw. She was going to take the next opportunity she had and go over there. Luckily, a couple of songs later, Naruto told her he was going to take a quick break and head to the bathroom. There was always a line so it would give her a little time to get the Uchiha's attention all to herself.

As Naruto made his way through the crowd in one direction, Sakura headed in the other towards the bar. She swayed her hips and smirked at the lustful looks she was receiving from many of the males on the dance floor. The pinkette knew that she looked good. She had purposefully put on her shortest and tightest red dress after she heard Naruto confirming with Sasuke over the phone that he would be here. Her cotton candy tresses were curled and coifed perfectly and her makeup was immaculate. She was certain she would get a positive reaction out of the stubborn male tonight.

Meanwhile, the Uchiha fought the urge to roll his eyes as he watched Sakura saunter over to where he and Hinata sat at the bar. He found no reaction at all was a better deterrent than even a negative one. His dread at talking with his best friend's crush quickly turned into delight, however, when he realized that this was just what he needed to get Hinata to agree to his plans for revenge. Sasuke noticed Hinata tense as the pinkette got closer and smirked to himself.

"Sasuke, what a surprise! I didn't even see you arrive!" Sakura said while batting her eyelashes, though both Sasuke and Hinata knew she was lying.

"Hn," was the onyx eyed man's uninterested response.

The pinkette ignored what sounded suspiciously like a snort from the Hyuga next to Sasuke. She would not let Hinata distract her from her mission.

"Mmm, Sasuke," she purred, "wouldn't you like to come dance with me?"

The Uchiha resisted the urge to gag at Sakura's sickly sweet perfume as she leaned closer to him. She really had no respect for his personal space.

"Where's Naruto?" he asked, not even dignifying her dance request with a response.

"He went to the bathroom. I think he'd appreciate it if you kept me company while he was away," Sakura tried again.

"Sorry, I already have company. Looks like you'll have to make do on your own. I'm sure there's someone out there willing to keep you entertained until Naruto gets back."

Sakura shot a scathing look at Hinata, who appeared to be calmly watching the dance floor. Inside, though, the ravenette was fuming. She couldn't believe Sakura was shamelessly throwing herself at the best friend of the boyfriend she stole, and then looking at her like _she_ was the one doing something wrong!

"But, Sasuke, I know I can be better company," Sakura whined. There was no way the quiet Hyuga was more appealing than her.

Hinata's eyes narrowed at that jab and Sasuke inwardly rejoiced. This was going even better than he expected. Sakura was being more catty than usual and it was definitely working to his advantage.

Meanwhile, Sakura knew that her time to hit on Sasuke was growing shorter by the minute and she was getting desperate. It was well known that Sasuke rarely ever set foot on the dance floor, but it would be the easiest way to seduce him under the guise of harmless dancing. Out on the floor, she could dance suggestively and talk to him without anyone being able to overhear them.

Sasuke tensed and swatted her hand away when Sakura tried to trace patterns on his thigh with her manicured fingers.

"Sasuke, you seem so tense. Obviously sitting here with _her_ is not helping so why don't you come let me try to relieve that stress for you," she said flirtatiously.

Hinata wasn't sure if it was her stressful week, the fuzzy feeling she had from the alcohol, or Sakura's shamelessness, but she had had enough. The Hyuga was not the same pushover she used to be and this hussy had the audacity to hit on the one person who had been trying to make her feel better (in his own twisted way) while also insulting her while she was right there! Was stealing the man she thought was the love of her life not enough? Apparently not.

"Sasuke," Hinata began in a sultry tone even she wasn't aware existed, "I think I'd like to take you up on your earlier offer."

She had purposefully phrased her statement to be both as vague and suggestive as possible, but the smug look on the Uchiha's face almost made her regret it. That regret disappeared as soon as she saw the agitated look on Sakura's face, however, and she found herself feeling just as smug as her companion looked.

Hinata quickly realized that Sasuke hadn't actually given her any details earlier about what his plans for revenge entailed and though she felt nervous, she also felt a thrill regarding the unknown. She decided she would defer to the self appointed "Avenger" in this instance.

Once Hinata said the words out loud, Sasuke was beside himself. This would be his first revenge attempt with a partner and the new experience was exhilarating. He was already pleasantly surprised at her delivery and found himself eager to get on with the show.

The Uchiha smiled a rare smile at the lavender eyed woman and held out his hand for her to take.

"In that case, Princess, I think a dance is in order."

When Hinata placed her hand in his, Sasuke brought it up to his lips for a kiss then pulled her out onto the dance floor.

Sakura was torn between swooning at the rare sight of Sasuke's smile and screaming in frustration that the smile was directed at Hinata and not her. The pinkette watched in horror as Sasuke lead Hinata onto the dance floor and pulled her close. Meanwhile, Naruto had come back from the restroom and found Sakura at the bar. When she didn't respond to his greeting, he noticed the shocked look on her face and followed her line of sight to a couple on the dance floor.

To say that Naruto was surprised would be an understatement. Utterly dumbfounded would probably be a more accurate way to describe his thoughts at seeing his stoic best friend dancing very suggestively with his ex-girlfriend.

"Um, Sakura?" he said, while tapping her arm to get her attention. She made some noncommittal sound in response, and he continued, "Is that who I think it is?"

Luckily, the Uzumaki didn't notice Sakura trembling in rage as he was so distracted by the raven haired couple. This was certainly... unexpected. He watched as Sasuke bent down to bite the area where Hinata's neck met her shoulder and the uncomfortably familiar way she threw her head back in pleasure. That certainly made Naruto twitch. _He _had been the one to tell Sasuke about Hinata's sensitivity in that spot. Although they were no longer together, this situation was extremely disconcerting to the blond.

He sat quietly with Sakura in the two seats that had been vacated by the raven haired pair and they watched as the dancing became more provocative. The blond didn't question Sakura's quiet observation; he chalked it up to being shocked at Sasuke both dancing and showing actual interest in a girl. Instead, Naruto found himself growing more and more uncomfortable with the scene in front of him - because, seriously, they were _right_ there in everyone's view - and was thinking he was pretty sure there was some sort of code about this kind of thing that Sasuke was definitely breaking. When Sasuke looked up after a few songs and caught Naruto's eyes with a smirk, that did it. The blond stood up and made his way over to the couple on the floor.

Meanwhile, on the dance floor, Hinata was enjoying herself immensely. She had never seen Sasuke dance and was surprised he did it so well. He had one hand on her lower back, pressing her body to his as he moved his hips. The other hand was on her hip, helping her move in time with him.

After a couple of minutes, Sasuke snuck a peek at the bar and saw both Sakura and Naruto there watching them with unhappy expressions. He moved the hand on Hinata's hip to the back of her head and tilted her face up towards his so he could talk to her.

"They're watching us," he said, with a pleased look on his face. Apparently this had been part of the plan.

"Sasuke, everyone's watching us," Hinata replied, and it was true. All eyes were on the couple in the middle of the dance floor. Women were looking at her with jealousy and men were eying her appreciatively. She knew some were curious at an Uchiha and Hyuga dancing together so closely. Their families were often rivals and one did not often see members getting along, much less practically making out in public.

"Even better," Sasuke said with a smirk. "Let's really give them something to watch," he said as he pulled her hair to the side and gently bit somewhere Naruto had once told him drove Hinata crazy.

It seemed the information was not an exaggeration because the usually reserved young woman suddenly threw her head back and let out a throaty moan that stirred something inside him. The hand on her lower back started to drift lower and he found himself pressing her against him even harder. Hinata looked at him a little questioningly, though she didn't dare say anything against his actions. They felt a lot better than she would have thought and she found she didn't really want him to stop.

"Hinata," Sasuke said to make sure he had her attention.

"Yes, Sasuke?" she said, letting him know she was listening so he would continue.

"Originally my plan for tonight was for us to make a scene on the dance floor and leave together so that people would assume we were going to have sex."

Hinata blushed at the idea of people assuming they were sleeping together, but had to admit she enjoyed knowing how positively livid a certain pink haired woman would be at the possibility.

"However," the Uchiha continued, interrupting Hinata's thoughts as his onyx eyes bored into hers, "I am quickly finding that I don't want them to assume incorrectly. I want you, Hinata, very badly."

Her blush intensified both from embarrassment and desire when she heard him say that. She was not the type of girl who just slept with someone casually. And Hinata was perfectly aware of Sasuke's current stance on dating. He was not interested in settling down right now. He was twenty three and enjoyed being single. On the rare occasions that he did sleep with someone, it was a one night only arrangement.

However, it had been nine months since Naruto broke up with her and it was nice to feel wanted, especially after the way that relationship had ended. Hinata had no doubt that Sasuke was sincere. He was honest to a fault, sometimes. The way he was looking at her and holding her so possessively was enough to effectively communicate his desire for her.

Sasuke threaded his fingers through her hair and pulled her face closer to his as he leaned down until she could feel his breath on her lips. His eyes never left hers and he asked, "What do you think? It is completely up to you and I don't want you to think I'm only doing this because of our arrangement. We can still have your revenge without it, but I am barely keeping myself from taking you right here on the floor."

Hinata's breath hitched at the bold statement. Her shy, more cautious side would have turned him down immediately, but the alcohol was doing a good job of suppressing that voice in her head. Instead, the ego boost she was getting from his husky voice and intense gaze were making her feel more confident and like it might be a good idea. There was obviously an attraction between them and the idea of just enjoying herself for a night, no strings attached, was very tempting.

Before she could change her mind, she nodded and nearly swooned at the heated look he gave her. He was the polar opposite of Naruto, but she had always considered him an attractive man.

"In that case, there's one last thing to do before heading out," Sasuke said as he made eye contact with Naruto while flashing one of his arrogant smirks in his direction.

He received the response he was hoping for when the blond's eyes flashed in anger and he started making his way over to them.

"Hinata, Naruto is coming over. We're going to leave, but I need you to make sure you don't look at him. It's important that you just ignore him, okay?"

"Okay," she agreed, knowing that Sasuke had a reason for asking that of her.

The Uchiha began leading her off the floor in the direction of the front door, but was intercepted by Naruto.

"Sasuke - " he began indignantly, but was cut off by his raven haired friend.

"Sorry, Naruto, but we're actually in a bit of a hurry. It'll have to wait," he said as he sidestepped the blond and continued towards the entrance. Before Naruto could say anything else he glanced back with a smirk and said, "Oh, and don't stop by tonight. I'll be otherwise occupied."

With that the raven haired pair made their exit, eager to get somewhere private, leaving behind a bewildered blonde and fuming pinkette.


	3. The Morning After

**Revenge is Sweet, Love is Sweeter**

**Chapter 3**

The next morning Hinata opened her eyes, still a little groggy from the alcohol and late night, and quickly noticed that she was not in her own room. Sitting up, she shook her head and began to recall the events of the night before. The lavender eyed young woman blushed profusely when she remembered what exactly she had done with Sasuke that had caused her to feel both satiated, and a little sore.

The Uchiha had been as aggressive and thorough as he was in all aspects of his life and Hinata found herself very appreciative of those characteristics. He knew what he was doing and really took the initiative, knowing that although she had agreed to it, she was a bit shy about the whole situation. The Hyuga hadn't let go of all her inhibitions, but had eagerly participated in their intimate activities.

As the young woman stretched her limbs, she glanced around the room. There hadn't been much of an opportunity the night before to observe her surroundings and she had to admit she was curious about Sasuke's living space. He was a very private individual and only allowed those he was closest to into his home.

Hinata had actually been surprised the night before when he had suggested his place. They both knew hers wasn't an option because a very nosy Hanabi was staying with her. She had kind of figured they would get a hotel room-it's not like they couldn't afford one-but Sasuke had driven them straight to his place and silenced her protest that they could find somewhere else with a searing kiss. It was very effective and she hadn't bothered herself with anything other than the obvious afterwards.

Looking around, she noticed his walls were painted a deep blue and his floors were a dark hardwood. His comforter was a few different shades of grey, and his sheets were white with small Uchiha fans printed on it. She giggled a little bit at this small touch and wondered if they had been a gift from family or if he had had them made himself. All the furniture around the room was also made of dark wood and she was happy for the massive window on one of the walls because she was sure that without it the room would seem too dark.

In her perusal of the room, Hinata noticed a folded piece of paper on the nightstand next to her. She saw her name written on it, and picked it up to read.

_Hinata,_

_I apologize for not being there when you wake up, but I have to put in a half day at the office today and didn't want to wake you after our late night._

_Feel free to use the shower if you like. I have set out some towels on the counter and there should be any soap and shampoo you might need inside the shower. I also placed a couple of Itachi's shirts on the chair in the corner of the room. I figured you might want some fresh clothing and Itachi's a little leaner than I am so his clothing shouldn't be quite as large on you as mine would be._

_You are also welcome to use the kitchen. We generally keep it pretty well stocked so there is no need for you to leave hungry._

_I hope you had a nice time last night. I know I did. I look forward to seeing you again soon._

_-Sasuke_

Hinata stared at the note for a good minute. Who knew Sasuke could be so… chivalrous. He had mentioned the night before that Itachi was on a business trip so she decided to take him up on his offer to get cleaned up and eat. She would make sure to make a little extra food to leave for him as a thank you.

The lavender eyed woman stood up from the bed, her feet landing on a plush rug that she enjoyed digging her toes into. She looked at the shirts Sasuke had provided and picked a black button up that she figured she could belt around the waist in order to get home without looking too much like she was wearing men's clothing. Hinata gathered the shirt as well as her other clothes that Sasuke had folded next to it and headed into his bathroom to enjoy a nice warm shower.

The combination of the steam and hot water soothing her muscles helped to alleviate some of her hangover. As the fogginess in her mind began to lift, Hinata began to consider everything that had happened the night before. She felt surprisingly comfortable with the whole situation which was pretty unexpected when she actually thought about what she did. It all felt a little surreal, like a part of her she didn't know about had taken over, but she couldn't really blame it on alcohol or say that Sasuke had been pushy.

She had been just intoxicated enough for her usual inhibitions to lower, but not enough that she felt like she had been taken advantage of or that she might not have made the decision otherwise. It would certainly have taken more convincing, but honestly Hinata couldn't say she regretted anything that happened. If anything, she was thankful that Sasuke's rather sadistic methods were actually helping her find closure for the first time since the break up.

Hinata was an atypical Hyuga, but she was a Hyuga nonetheless and the idea that her entire relationship had been a farce was hurtful both emotionally and to her pride. The lavender eyed woman had overcome many self confidence issues over the years and feeling that she had spent an entire two years of her life blind to the fact that she was not even second place, but a mere stand-in for the person Naruto really wanted was a serious blow to all that hard work.

She had truly felt as though she was moving on, but she realized that just because her romantic feelings for Naruto had disappeared did not mean that she had dealt with the other negative ramifications of the situation. Hinata was more of a meditation and hot tea kind of person than someone who made plans for revenge, but she could not deny that the look on Naruto and Sakura's faces had given her a strange high. When she had sneaked a peek over her shoulder before walking out the door with Sasuke, Naruto had looked both agitated and a little jealous and Sakura had looked positively livid. After feeling so down on herself, it was nice to know she could actually elicit such responses.

Now, Hinata realized she needed to consider her next step. She was sure that Sasuke was not finished with his, or rather _her_, revenge since he had mentioned wanting to expose Sakura. After last night's success, she felt comfortable going along with whatever his plans were.

On a more personal note, the ravenette realized that she had perhaps buried herself in her work in order to escape the breakup and, as a result, had been putting too much stress on herself and her close friends and family. She wouldn't go so far as to say she needed a vacation, but she definitely needed to calm down a bit and maybe open herself up to new experiences. Last night had certainly been a new experience and she blushed as she remembered how much she had enjoyed that. Hinata wasn't planning on any new experiences quite like that-she really wanted to steer clear of anything sexual or romance related for a while-but there were plenty of other things in the world to experience.

With that conclusion, Hinata turned off the water and stepped out of the glass shower, considering asking Sasuke where he got all of these remarkably soft rugs, and toweled herself off. She pulled a hair band out of her pants pocket and braided her hair over her shoulder. After putting on most of her clothes from the night before, Hinata hesitated when picking up Itachi's shirt. Wearing a man's shirt just seemed so intimate and she hardly knew the elder Uchiha brother.

The raven haired young woman had seen him often enough at various charity and business functions, but they would rarely interact. At one charity event in particular, she had stepped in when the daughter of a rich donor had been terrorizing one of the caterers for nearly spilling something on her dress. Hinata had firmly set the young socialite straight, since her dress was fine, and helped reassure the shaken caterer who was terrified she would lose her job. She had felt eyes on her and when she looked up, had seen him gazing at her with an unreadable expression. She assumed he disapproved of her actions, as she knew most of her elder family members would, and quickly looked away. She had caught him looking at her quite a few times since then, but never thought much about it.

Hinata pushed down her embarrassment, convincing herself that this was part of her new experience and buttoned up the shirt. As she adjusted her belt from the night before around her waist, her stomach made a quiet growl. She was thankful that Sasuke had offered his kitchen and hoped that he had all the ingredients she might need for cinnamon rolls, since the gooey sweetness was just what her hangover stomach was craving.

* * *

><p>As the lavender eyed young woman bustled around the kitchen, humming and dancing to some Ella Fitzgerald she had playing on her phone, she found herself thinking again about the mystery that was Uchiha Itachi. It was inevitable, really, considering she was in his home, wearing his shirt, searching through his kitchen for a container in which to place the remaining cinnamon rolls. It didn't help that the shirt she was wearing, though undoubtedly freshly dry cleaned, had a distinctly masculine scent to it that followed her around. It was faint, but unfamiliar which made it impossible to ignore.<p>

Although Sasuke had informed her last night that Itachi was on a business trip, Hinata couldn't help the anxiety that pooled in her stomach at the thought of the stoic older man walking in on her. She kept looking over her shoulder whenever she heard something just to make sure it wasn't him. Hinata furrowed her brows, however, as she tried to understand what it was about Itachi that made her so nervous. Unlike Sasuke, whom she knew from school and through mutual friends, she had only interacted with the elder Uchiha brother a handful of times. Although she had grown closer to Sasuke recently, he never spoke about his brother so she didn't actually know much about him.

The few times that they had met either for business or at charity functions, Uchiha Itachi had been nothing but polite and professional. His manners were impeccable, something that had surprised her after being so familiar with Sasuke who could be rather tactless at times. Aside from that, she was aware that, like herself, Itachi was the main reason behind the Uchiha Corporation's charity donations. Honestly, his manners and eagerness to give back would normally be more than enough to endear him to her, but instead she found herself intimidated.

Sasuke's older brother was a constant topic of complaint in Hyuga board meetings because of his uncanny ability to know good investments from bad ones and for rearranging things in the Uchiha Corporation in such a way that always saved loads of money. To some extent, she understood how Sasuke felt about living and working in Itachi's brilliant shadow. She was well aware of his reputation for being a genius, but knowing the man was a genius and talking to him in person were two entirely different things. In person, Itachi, however polite, seemed as though he was constantly analyzing everything, taking it all in. His eyes seemed as though they could look straight through you. The air around him radiated with this intensity that, Hinata would grudgingly admit, intimidated her.

Satisfied that she had discovered the cause of her nervousness concerning Uchiha Itachi, but no less curious about the older man, Hinata continued searching for a container for her leftover cinnamon rolls. The main thing she disliked about being in someone else's kitchen, however well outfitted, was that she didn't know where everything was like she did at home. She turned to look through the cabinets on the other side of her and froze as she saw a figure standing in the entryway of the kitchen.

Wide lavender eyes took in a tall, shirtless figure and it took her a few seconds to realize that this was the person she had just been thinking about. She had almost not recognized him since she was so used to seeing him in impeccably tailored suits with his hair tied back. Instead, the man in front of her looked uncharacteristically relaxed wearing only a pair of black sweatpants. His ebony hair was loose around his neck and shoulders and Hinata couldn't help but admire the toned arms that were crossed in front of a lean, muscled torso. Sasuke had been right when he had told her Itachi was leaner than him. Sasuke had broader shoulders and a slightly more aggressive physique, whereas Itachi was slimmer, but no less ripped. She had no idea how the Uchiha brothers found time to keep in such good shape while working the long hours she was familiar with.

"Is there something I can help you find, Ms. Hyuga?"

Itachi's deep voice broke her out of her thoughts and she brought her eyes back up to notice him looking at her with a rather amused expression. She was horrified as she realized that she had just been staring intently at his naked torso. When she didn't respond, the elder Uchiha took a couple of steps towards her. Highly flustered, Hinata quickly tried to retain the amount of space between them by stepping back, but tripped in her haste. In a flash, Itachi was in front of her, his arms around her waist, keeping her from falling. Surprised by his lightning fast reflexes, Hinata gripped his shoulders, holding on so that she didn't lose her balance and topple them both.

Dark eyes looked truly contrite when he said, "Are you alright? I apologize if I startled you."

Hinata felt her face getting warm at their current proximity, but with her mind still reeling at the events of the past minute, she couldn't quite bring herself to let go. Instead she nodded slightly, her eyes searching his face for any sign of annoyance and feeling immensely relieved when she saw only concern. She saw his eyes drift lower and began to panic, thinking that he was checking her out and was planning to take advantage her. That train of thought was halted, however, when she noticed his brows furrow and he asked, "Is that my shirt?"

Oh god. She was mortified. She quickly scrambled away and tried to explain.

"S-sorry! Um, it is, but Sasuke told me to borrow it! He said you wouldn't be - but you can have it back! I'm so sorry! Just give me a minute!"

Before the embarrassed Hyuga could bolt from the room, Itachi blocked her exit and shook his head.

"It's alright," he said, "I don't mind. Besides," he added with a smirk, "my little brother would surely be upset with me if he heard that I asked his girlfriend to take her shirt off."

At this point Hinata could hardly keep herself from fainting. She had gotten over that habit a long time ago, however, and she was determined not to start again in the Uchiha's kitchen. Hinata closed her eyes, and took a deep breath in and out before opening them again. Now that she had a better hold on herself, she noticed a slight twinkle in his eye and realized he had been teasing her.

"I'm not Sasuke's girlfriend. We just, um, well it's kind of complicated, but we're not together."

She was _not _going to tell the Uchiha Itachi that she had agreed to one of his younger brother's revenge schemes and ended up sleeping with him. After her statement Itachi looked a little confused, and Hinata was suddenly thankful that all her years of living with her father and Neji enabled her to read the minute facial expressions of stoic men.

"I did not mean to imply anything. Sasuke has never brought a girl home so when I saw your shoes in the entryway and that he allowed you to stay even after he had left for work I merely assumed that you were his significant other. At any rate, he seems to trust you a great deal."

Hinata blushed at the compliment and couldn't help but feel pleased that the very private Sasuke had allowed her something very rare. She smiled shyly at Itachi and gestured to the remaining cinnamon rolls.

"I was actually just about to leave, but I wanted to put these in a container so that Sasuke could have them later as a kind of thank you for everything."

"Ah, so that is what you were searching for. Let me get that for you," Itachi offered as he opened one of the few cabinets Hinata had not yet looked in and pulled out a small plastic container.

As he handed it to her he said, "You are aware that my little brother does not care for sweets?"

Hinata, who was reaching for the container, stopped and looked at him. He did not seem to be joking with her, but she had a hard time fathoming anyone disliking sweets. They were supposed to be everyone's favorite! As she thought back, however, she realized she had never really seen him eating any kind of dessert, though she had never thought anything of it, until now.

"Oh no!" she said, looking forlornly at the cinnamon rolls she now knew Sasuke would not eat. "Now what am I going to do? I just wanted to make him something for being so hospitable!"

Itachi raised an eyebrow, "Hospitable? Is that what they're calling it now?"

Hinata flushed red and looked at Itachi in shock. She quickly noticed the twinkle in his eye was back and realized he was teasing her again. He was nothing like she had encountered before and she couldn't tell if it was because he was more comfortable at home or if she had just been too intimidated to really give him a chance at a real conversation before.

Not wanting the cinnamon rolls to get stale and go to waste, she started to place them in the container only to have one snatched from her hand. Hinata turned to Itachi to protest, but found herself speechless at witnessing the most elegant way she had ever seen anyone eat a cinnamon roll. She suddenly remembered that he was supposed to be good at everything. It was apparently true even in the most ridiculous ways.

Itachi noticed her staring and said, "I failed to mention that I actually love sweets. I hope you don't mind. I wouldn't want your hard work to go to waste."

His actions and tone were teasing, but his words were so polite that it threw Hinata off balance. She didn't know whether to be indignant or flattered. She opted for the safe route of being polite back, as manners were something she did best.

"You are more than welcome to them, Mr. Uchiha. This is, after all, your home too and I thank you for allowing me to intrude."

Hinata marvelled at the fact that he was already on his fourth roll and had no icing on him at all. Seeing that she no longer needed to put them away, the raven haired young woman began to leave. She stopped when she picked up her shirt and handbag, remembering that she was wearing the older man's shirt and would need to get that back to him.

"I'm truly sorry about wearing your shirt without permission. Sasuke set it out for me because he thought it might fit a little better than one of his. I promise I'll have it dry cleaned and sent to you first thing on Monday."

"There's no need," Itachi said, as his lips formed the trademark Uchiha smirk, "You are welcome to keep the shirt. After all, now that I've seen it on you I feel that I could no longer do it justice."

Lavender eyes widened yet again, not sure how she was supposed to respond to that. She opted for a quick bow and then made a hasty exit, eager to get away from someone who could so easily make her feel so flustered.

Hinata shook her head and tried to prepare herself for the interrogation that was waiting for her at home in the form of her little sister. As she walked she couldn't help thinking that the Uchiha brothers certainly made for a very interesting time.


	4. Confrontations

**Hello, everyone! I'm back with another chapter and I hope you enjoy it. It's out quite a bit later than I had originally wanted, but hopefully you can all understand with year end stuff at work and holiday stuff at home.  
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**This chapter is a little more about the main characters' relationships with family and such and is setting up some stuff for later. I tried to make her thoughts sound as disjointed as she was after her unusual night and morning, but I hope the writing didn't come out too confusing. I wanted it to feel flustered like her as you read, but tried not to make it unclear. Let me know if it turned out okay. I'm always looking to improve!**

* * *

><p>Revenge is Sweet, Love is Sweeter<p>

Chapter 4

Hinata had decided to walk rather than take a taxi home. It turns out, the Uchiha brothers lived only about ten blocks from her and she figured she could use the fresh air. Her mind was still reeling from her encounter with Itachi.

The more it sunk in that he had caught her rifling through his kitchen while wearing his shirt _after_ spending the night with his brother, the more embarrassed she became. What was even worse, she had gotten so caught up in looking for a container - that she ended up not even needing - that she had no real idea how long he had been standing there. What if he had seen her singing and dancing to her music? How was she supposed to face him at their next business dinner?

She couldn't understand why he had just stood there and not said anything! He had to have known she would have been startled either way, and this way ended up with her almost falling. Hinata pointedly ignored the fact that she had been flustered after he had caught her staring at his half naked body, which had greatly contributed to her tripping.

Hinata could not, however, ignore how relieved she had been when Itachi had caught her and how warm he felt. As he had supported her and kept her from falling, she had felt the body heat radiating off of him through her - or, rather, _his_ - shirt. He was like a human space heater and she couldn't figure out how he managed to do that. Any part of her body that was not usually covered in some kind of fabric was always freezing. She couldn't deny that there had been a small voice in the back of her mind telling her to just snuggle up to him and never let go.

She really needed to stop thinking about this. His toned arms and warm body were _not_ the kinds of things she needed permeating her thoughts right now. She had to figure out how to explain to her nosy sister the reason she had not come home last night with as little detail as possible. The elder sister was aware that as soon as Hanabi saw her outfit, she would figure out that she slept with somebody. So, there was no real way to get out of her sister knowing about Sasuke. Her encounter with a half-naked Itachi, however, was something she would definitely leave out.

Oh god. She sounded like a pervert. How can one night and morning spent in the Uchiha residence turn her into a pervert? Is this why they had so many fangirls? Maybe the girls had no actual intention of being attracted to the Uchiha brothers and were slowly transformed from nice normal people into fangirls...

Hinata shook her head. She realized she was starting to get ridiculous and stopped herself, unfortunately bringing herself back to the dilemma at hand.

However free and relaxed Hinata had felt that morning in the shower, she was now lamenting the fact that her sister would soon find out about her actions from the night before. It wasn't that Hanabi would disapprove, because she would probably try to throw a party celebrating the occasion. The real problem was the fact that Hinata prided herself in being a good example as an older sibling to her younger sister. Especially since that same younger sister would be leaving at the end of the summer to go to University.

Hiashi, the girls' strict father, had agreed to let Hanabi stay with her older sister instead of with him, under the impression that Hinata would not let her get away with anything he would disapprove of. Now, Hinata was much more lenient than her father, but she still made sure that Hanabi didn't get too wild. She was glad to have these few months with her sister and felt that she was making a suitable enough impression that you didn't have to get crazy in college to have fun and make friends.

Hinata usually went out at least one night on the weekend with her friends and attended plenty of high society parties and events, but she was really more of a homebody. Hanabi could not fathom why someone who was able to escape the immediate supervision of their strict father would live so calmly. The older sibling was well aware that her father had eyes everywhere, including the University where Hanabi would be attending, but preferred to lead by example rather than bursting her sister's happy bubble. Perhaps if her little sister could see that Hinata could lead a full, social life without doing anything too wild, Hanabi would not feel the need to party too hard when she got to college. It was unlikely, but she could hope.

When Hinata walked up to her door, she heard what sounded like a few voices inside her home. That was odd since they did not often get visitors, particularly on Saturday mornings when Hanabi would usually sleep in until the afternoon. As she went to put her key in the door, she was startled to see it open by itself.

She looked up from where her hand had been positioned to unlock her door and met the stern face of her cousin. Lavender eyes quickly discerned the identity of her visitors as Neji and TenTen. Neji was looking at her with a steely expression she had not seen directed at herself in a long time. TenTen was on the couch, staring at her shirt with wide eyes while trying hard to hold back a smile. Hanabi was smiling like the cat who had eaten the canary. Hinata felt the need to be the first to break the silence that had befallen at her arrival.

"Um, hi," was unfortunately the only thing that came out of her mouth.

"We were worried," Neji said gruffly and it made Hinata realize that perhaps he was not as upset with the implications of the time of her arrival and her wardrobe so much as he was upset that she had not notified anyone of where she was. Her heart soared knowing that these people truly cared about her.

Hanabi was the next to jump in, "Yeah, sorry sis, but when you didn't come home last night I called around to see if anyone knew where you were. I tried Kiba and Shino first, since I knew they had gone out with you, but I couldn't get much out of them except some grumbling about an Uchiha from Kiba. So, I started to get a little worried and called Neji."

Hinata's eyes shifted to TenTen whose presence was not out of place, but still unexplained. She just shrugged and said, "I was with Neji."

The ravenette bit back back her smile at the light pink that colored Neji's cheeks at his girlfriend's statement. Now was not the time to tease him. The cousins stood there for a minute in awkward silence, not sure exactly where to go from here now that everyone knew she was okay and now that she knew why everyone was there.

TenTen just rolled her eyes at the uncomfortable pair, used to their dynamic as both Hinata's best friend and Neji's girlfriend. She wondered at just how hard their upbringing must have been to cause them to feel so awkward when acting like an actual family. She figured that now that they knew Hinata was okay, giving her a hard time was fair game.

"Nice shirt," TenTen said as she winked.

Hinata's face went up in flames and Hanabi laughed gleefully. Neji did not look amused, but Hinata was saved his commentary when TenTen grabbed her arm and lead her into the living room, sitting her down on the couch. At this point she was surrounded by her little sister and best friend and made it a point not to look in her cousin's direction. She did not want to know his thoughts on her actions last night.

"So…" began Hanabi as she and TenTen looked at each other. Suddenly Hinata was assaulted by questions from both girls.

"Kiba said something about an Uchiha. Is it true?"

"Uchiha? As in Uchiha _Sasuke_?"

"You have to tell me how it was!"

"Where did you two go? I heard no one's ever seen his house."

Hinata ducked her head down slightly as they asked about his home and they knew they had hit the jackpot.

"Oh my god, he took you to his house?"

"What was his home like? How was his bed?"

"Wait, did you see his brother?"

Hinata's blush increased a couple of shades at the mention of Itachi and she cursed her biological responses.

"YOU DID!"

"What was he like? Was he as hot as everyone says?"

"Oh my god, you didn't with him, right? It was Sasuke, not Itachi? Because I've heard Itachi is a genius at everything. I bet it would be crazy good."

At this point Neji was both disturbed and annoyed at all of the questions and decided to put a stop to it. "Enough," he said loudly, stopping the flurry of questions coming from his girlfriend and little cousin who both looked like he had just taken their favorite toy.

He sighed and said, "Honestly, if you feel the need to ask these things I'd prefer you did it when I wasn't here. I just want to know how it happened. Hinata, you've never expressed an interest in either Uchiha. I'm assuming it was Sasuke, since I don't see you going home with someone you hardly know, but I don't know why. Care to enlighten me?"

Hinata was praying to every deity she had ever heard of that the couch would swallow her whole. Unfortunately, her pleas fell on deaf ears and so she figured she should probably explain what happened. She had kept her struggles regarding Naruto and her breakup to herself for a long time and felt that maybe it was time to tell them about Sakura and about what happened with Sasuke the night before at the club. She looked up at the three curious pairs of eyes that were on her and sighed. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

><p>When Sasuke returned home from work that day, he was not surprised to see his older brother sitting at their dining table in jeans and a t-shirt, typing away on his laptop while surrounded by papers. It was pretty common for both of them to spend at least some time each weekend working, and Itachi was even more of a workaholic than he was. The elder Uchiha occasionally went out with some of his friends, but it was not nearly as often as Sasuke saw his own and he often gave his older brother a hard time about being even more antisocial than he was.<p>

Itachi looked up from his work when he heard his brother come in and watched as he crossed the room to grab a bottle of beer from the fridge. After opening the bottle, Sasuke sat down on their couch and leaned back.

"Good afternoon, little brother," Itachi greeted.

"Afternoon," Sasuke responded, "You know you could have just come into the office if you were planning on turning our dining room into one anyway."

Itachi offered a small smile in return.

"I'm just writing up a report regarding my trip. I find reports are always more thorough when done promptly."

"I know, I know. I just think you should relax a bit more. You know the girls won't like you as much when you start getting grey hairs," Sasuke said with a smirk.

Itachi just scoffed. "That's a lie and you know it. Just look at Father."

Uchiha Fugaku, the head of Uchiha Industries and their father, was a very scary man. That did not, however, detract from the number of his admirers. The fact that he had a beautiful wife and two handsome sons helped, but even as the man reached his upper forties, he still had his own fangirls.

His sons, however, had it even worse. They had inherited their father's strong facial structure, with their mother's softer features. This combination made them extraordinarily good looking and women were sometimes literally stunned in their presence. Unfortunately for the brothers, neither liked too much attention and they liked it even less from strangers. This made much of their life outside their home rather uncomfortable for them both.

Itachi had the added struggle of being a certified genius. He had proven himself gifted very early on in life and what with the constant female attention and awed adults, he was either blindly worshipped or hated by people who were jealous. Sasuke was lucky enough to be the same age as many of the children of his parents' friends so he had a core group of people he could trust. The elder Uchiha brother was not so lucky and it wasn't until he went to a small elite private college that he met some people similar to him whom he had grown close to. His friends were a bit eccentric, but they were loyal and that's what mattered to him.

Sasuke sighed, knowing that his brother was right and realizing that they would probably never be entirely rid of their fangirl problem. Instead of dwelling on that, he decided to get to the real heart of the matter.

"Grey hairs or no, I do think it would be a good idea for you to relax. You just got back from a business trip that was supposed to last an extra three days. I know for a fact that you pushed yourself too hard in order to finish everything early and get back. And here you are on a Saturday afternoon compiling receipts and reports. I just worry."

Sasuke mumbled the last part and turned his face away, blushing slightly. The brothers were extremely close, growing up as they had with few people they felt they could trust, but Sasuke was not quite as comfortable showing his affection as Itachi was. Itachi doted on his younger brother and enjoyed teasing him, while Sasuke often tried to act cool and disinterested. He did care deeply for his older brother, though, and ever since Itachi had recovered from an almost fatal bout of tuberculosis (which had gone undiagnosed for much too long because he hadn't wanted anyone to worry), Sasuke had concerned himself with his older brother's health.

Hearing his younger brother's concern warmed his heart and in order to assure him that he was feeling perfectly fine, Itachi decided to tease him about their house guest from that morning.

"Actually, little brother, I had a very relaxing morning. I slept in and woke up to a heavenly smell coming from our kitchen. Turns out, there was an angel in there making you some cinnamon rolls."

Sasuke merely raised a brow.

"I regretfully had to inform her that you do not care for sweets. I refused to let her efforts go to waste, however, and so I ate her cinnamon rolls myself. They were quite good."

"How considerate of you," the short haired young man snorted.

"Indeed." Suddenly Itachi looked a little more serious. "You didn't tell me you were dating the Hyuga heiress."

Sasuke looked over at his brother and took another sip of beer.

"I really wouldn't call it dating."

This time it was Itachi's turn to raise his brow. "Oh, really? What would you call it then?"

"I'm merely helping her out with something," he said with a shrug.

This just confused Itachi even further. "You're not exactly one to do anyone favors."

"True," agreed Sasuke, "but in this case it's my pleasure."

"I'm not sure I like the sound of that," said Itachi before quickly adding, "Not that I'm unhappy that you're finally showing an interest in helping someone." His younger brother didn't really have the best hobbies.

"We both get something we want. Well, really I get to orchestrate revenge on someone and I convinced her that it was a good idea."

The elder Uchiha was quiet for a moment. "Let me get this straight, you're helping Hyuga Hinata, the same person who is responsible for most Hyuga charity donations and who will literally go out of her way to help a total stranger, get revenge on someone? And it involves her sleeping over?"

Sasuke smirked, "I have to admit that her spending the night wasn't actually in my plans, but yes. Naruto really messed up and I felt that it was only right to show him how badly. It took a little convincing, but I made her see that it will be best for him this way."

Itachi couldn't help but be a little curious. "Hm, I was a little confused as to what your best friend's girlfriend was doing in our kitchen and it seemed safe to assume her stay last night wasn't platonic. I thought it more likely that she was now your girlfriend than that she had cheated on her significant other with his best friend."

"No, she and Naruto haven't been together since last November."

Itachi thought for a moment before asking, "Does that have anything to do with you coming home with a bloody fist a few days before Thanksgiving?"

Sasuke just rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I met up with Naruto and he started going on and on about how Sakura finally returned his feelings and how excited he was. The only problem was he was dating Hinata and had to break it off with her. That idiot just threw away a girlfriend who was devoted to him for a shallow girl who was just using him. I told him he was stupid and he had the nerve to call me jealous and so we got into it."

The long haired Uchiha was quiet as he digested Sasuke's story.

"...You sound like you actually care about her."

His younger brother sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "Yeah, in a way, I guess. But it's not like that. I'm single and I like it that way. If I was going to date someone, it'd be someone like Hinata, but she deserves something more than a guy who's not ready to settle down. Especially after what happened with Naruto."

"But you slept with her," Itachi couldn't help but remind him.

Sasuke just shrugged. "A moment of weakness. I like to think we both enjoyed ourselves, and I hope she doesn't regret it, because I sure don't. But it won't happen again. Like I said, she deserves better."

Itachi still felt a little confused by his little brother's intentions, but could tell he was speaking the truth when he said he did not plan to date the Hyuga heiress. Sasuke's reasons made him think that there were some possible deeper feelings, but his little brother was stubborn and if he said he was not going to do something then it was so. The elder Uchiha was pleased that Sasuke seemed to be looking out for her best interests. He was certainly turning into a man he was proud of.

Sasuke stood up from the couch and threw the now empty bottle in the trash. He stretched his arms over his head and cracked his neck before saying, "I'm going to take a quick shower and try to relax a bit. You should really consider doing the same."

Itachi gave him a small, but reassuring smile.

"I shouldn't be more than another twenty minutes and after that I promise to put away my work for the rest of the day."

Sasuke nodded and turned to leave the room. He stopped at the doorway, however, and said, "Oh yeah, I don't know if you noticed, but your cinnamon roll-making angel has one of your shirts so I'm sure you'll be seeing her again soon. Try to actually talk to her instead of just staring like you always do at those awful charity functions."

Before Itachi could respond, Sasuke disappeared into the hallway leading to their rooms. He was a bit taken aback that his younger brother had noticed his attentions toward Hyuga Hinata. Ever since he had seen her stick up for one of the servers at a charity event, he had watched her whenever they were at the same event. She was very different from other women with money and status and it intrigued him.

Now it made a little more sense why his younger brother had gone to the trouble of commandeering one of his shirts instead of just giving her one of his own. Little did Sasuke know, Itachi had told her to keep it. He just shook his head with a small smile and muttered, "Foolish little brother," as he got back to work.

* * *

><p><strong>There you go! I hope it doesn't feel like anything is moving too fast and I hope I've made Sasuke's feelings somewhat clear.<strong>

**Also, Hinata is attracted to Itachi and vice versa, but she did just have a tryst with his brother and I feel like those two would be pretty slow movers generally so their relationship is going to take a little time to blossom. They won't be eloping next chapter or anything like that, as adorable as I find them together.  
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**And finally, thank you all so much for reading this! I'm having a lot of fun with it and have a lot more planned. I've been overwhelmed by all the positive reviews and follows/favorites so thank you very much for brightening my day! Also, I've been trying to make use of the constructive criticism I have received so feel free to leave me anything like that as well. Like I said, I am always looking to improve!**

**Happy holidays!  
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	5. More Confrontations

**Hello! I just wanted to let you know that all your reviews and favorites and follows have made me so happy! I'm glad everyone is enjoying the story. It's been so much fun to write so far!  
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><p><strong>Chapter Five<strong>

Naruto was not having a good weekend.

First, Sakura had really gone all out the previous evening and he hated the disgusting thoughts going through the heads of all the guys who were staring at her. It didn't help that she still refused to let him call her his girlfriend. It was hard to convince those other dudes to back off when he couldn't even say he was her boyfriend. But she claimed she was uncomfortable with labels and would always make this face and ask him why his knowledge of her feelings wasn't enough. Naruto didn't know what he was supposed to say to that.

Then, watching Hinata and Sasuke together on the dance floor had been surreal. And uncomfortable. Extremely uncomfortable. He had a hard time watching the one person who had always been dedicated to him alone leave to have sex with the man that every girl wanted.

Sasuke was his best friend and Naruto cherished their bond, but he sometimes felt like there was something wrong with him when next to the Uchiha. It's just that the guy had women falling all over themselves around him, and he didn't even try! Why would he, when he actually hated that kind of attention? It was ridiculous. Jiraiya would have killed for that kind of ability and Sasuke just looked at these women like he wanted them to die in horrible, gruesome ways. He swears sometimes that guy had to be a scary murderer in a past life.

But somehow, against all logic, the guy who hated women and the girl who was never interested in said guy that all other women wanted, were suddenly together. They were dancing. Provocatively. It made no sense and it was un-fucking-comfortable. Sure he had broken up with her, and it had been his lifelong dream to date Sakura, but he couldn't help but feel a little betrayed when he saw his ex on the floor with his best friend.

Then he had started to try to figure out why he would be feeling like that and his mind had begun to go places he did not want to think about. So, after a while, he'd done his best to make himself forget. He'd even been able to convince Sakura to grab a bite to eat with him when they left the club.

That didn't lead to anything, though. It never did. And instead of taking his mind off of what was possibly happening at the moment between his best friend and his ex-girlfriend, Sakura would not stop talking about it. Seriously, she sounded more upset about the whole thing than he was and it was ridiculous. _He_ was the one with an asshole of a best friend probably sticking it to the only girl he'd ever been intimate with. Hinata was his first and, technically, only girlfriend and someone he had shared a lot with. Now he was apparently sharing his best friend, in a very wrong kind of way.

So, after a late dinner that had accomplished the exact opposite of what he had wanted, he went home, alone, and took a couple of shots of tequila. The blond was not in the habit of drinking himself to sleep, but he had been in a place where he would do anything to render himself unconscious. And tequila always knocked him out.

Unfortunately, tequila also always landed him with a nasty hangover (seriously, why did he even still have a bottle in his apartment?) and he woke up on Saturday feeling both physically and emotionally gross.

He had spent the morning and early afternoon trying to get ahold of Sasuke, determined to talk to him about the night before, but the sneaky bastard was working and all of his calls went either straight to voicemail or were forwarded to Sasuke's secretary who would "take a message" and never give it to him.

Finally, after a long, hot shower Naruto decided it was time to start his weekend anew. Brooding on the night before had only made his day so far depressing and he was not about to let a bad start get the best of his weekend. Thus, he called up Sakura to see if she'd like to go out with him again that night.

She immediately started ranting about how awful the night before was and called him a jerk for not checking up on how she was earlier. Despite him thinking that it should be the opposite and that _she_ should have called _him_ to see how he was, since he was the one actually close to those two, he sucked it up and apologized, hoping that if he did so she might come out again. Those nights they spent together at nightclubs were really the closest they ever got to any kind of physical relationship and so he invited her as often as he could.

Sakura had accepted his apology, and immediately asked if Sasuke would be there again tonight. Naruto told her that he wasn't sure, but it was unlikely since the Uchiha almost never went out the day after he'd gotten lucky. The pinkette was quiet for a minute, before telling him that she was actually pretty exhausted and was pretty sure she'd just have a night in. She promised him she would call if she changed her mind, which was satisfactory enough for him, and hung up.

And so, Naruto found himself later that night at their regular place, with a few friends, including Neji and TenTen who had not been there the night before. He was always happy to see them, because they were usually pretty good company, but tonight the couple seemed rather standoffish. They weren't outright rude to him or anything, but they weren't particularly easy to converse with, either. The blond wondered if maybe everyone was having a bit of a crappy weekend.

An hour or so into drinking and chatting with his friends, and Naruto was definitely starting to feel better. Jiraiya always said that good company and good booze could make your troubles disappear. Unfortunately, it seemed that he had been celebrating a bit early and he frowned at the arrival of the embodiment of his current troubles, Uchiha Sasuke.

He really shouldn't have expected an apology. Honestly, he knew Sasuke better than that, but he felt like the Uchiha owed him one and thought that maybe the morning after what happened might have brought some clarity into the bastard's mind. This was apparently not the case, however, and Sasuke just looked at him with an arched brow as if to say, "What?"

Between the night before, the hangover this morning, and the general funk he had been feeling all day, that look from his asshole of a friend was the final straw. Naruto stood up, grabbing the front of Sasuke's shirt, and pulled him over until he was in his face.

Uchiha Sasuke did _not_ appreciate being manhandled. He had expected some sort of outburst from his best friend, but this was not acceptable. Sasuke wrenched Naruto's hand away from his shirt and growled out, "What the hell is your problem?"

The blond looked taken aback for a moment, before becoming absolutely incensed.

"What is my problem? What do you mean, what is my problem?! What do you think my problem is? You left with Hinata last night!"

"So?" Sasuke shrugged, which just served to piss Naruto off even further.

"What the fuck do you mean, 'So?' You _left_ with Hinata last night! After dancing all over her and making a scene you left with her, obviously to continue where you left off on the dance floor!"

At this point Naruto was breathing heavily, waiting for Sasuke's response, though the Uchiha wasn't sure what kind of response he was looking for.

"I don't understand how that's any of your business."

Apparently that was not what the blond was looking for.

"Not my business?! Of course it is! You're my friend, my best friend. And you slept with my ex-girlfriend!"

Sasuke just blinked. "I don't see the problem."

"How can you possibly not see the problem with it?"

The Uchiha smirked, ready to have even more fun than he had been having with this, aside from the previous manhandling.

"Oh, I get it. You have a problem with me being with her?"

"Obviously!" shouted Naruto, who threw his hands up in exasperation.

"What, is she not pretty enough?"

The blond's eyes went wide. Sasuke had totally missed the point.

"Of course she is! She's beautiful!"

"Oh, okay. Is she not smart enough then?"

"Damnit, Sasuke, you know she's very smart."

"Ah, so she's not nice enough."

"Of course she's nice! She's like the nicest person any of us have ever met! She's actually _too_ nice for you."

"Oh, so the problem is I'm not nice enough for her?"

"Yes! Well, no. You aren't nice enough for her. Not at all, but that wasn't my point. She's my ex-girlfriend, Sasuke."

"I know that."

"For fuck's sake, _that's _the problem! She's my ex!"

"I don't get why that's a problem."

"It is a problem because you are my best friend and she is my ex."

"...But she's your ex."

"Exactly."

"No, I mean she's your _ex_."

"Yes. Exactly."

"I don't think you understand what I'm saying," Sasuke said, while shaking his head at a very frustrated blond. "Hinata is your ex. As in, you two are no longer together. As in, you broke up with your beautiful, smart, kind girlfriend for someone else fucking months ago. So what the hell is your problem if I think it's a waste for a girl like that to be single and decide to go for her myself?"

"You're my best friend! You can't go for her! There's a code!"

"I don't know anything about a code. When you forced your friendship on me in grade school you didn't tell me I would have to stay away from an amazing woman just because you dated her first. _You're_ the one who dropped her like last week's leftovers the second Sakura even looked your way. Hell, I think you're just mad because I'm getting some and pinky won't let you near her when you're not in public."

Sasuke knew he had struck a nerve when Naruto tensed up, but the Uzumaki was stubborn and was not going to back down.

"You are _not_ going to bring that into this. This is about the fact that you are a bastard for sleeping with my ex-girlfriend. And don't give me that bullshit about you wanting to be with her because we both know how you are. Once and done."

"You really think I'm as dumb as you?" Sasuke sneered. He was actually starting to get pissed off. Naruto was not learning his lesson. "Hinata is beautiful. She's smart and kind and funny and cultured. I'm not going to throw someone like that away so callously. I'm not you."

That was a low blow and he knew it. He knew it and Naruto knew it. Suddenly Naruto's fist flew at his face and he didn't have a chance to dodge before it connected with his eye.

"Son of a bitch!" he yelled, before slugging Naruto right back in his jaw.

The two best friends were suddenly on each other, each throwing punches and yelling obscenities. Just as suddenly, they found themselves pulled apart by none other than Hinata's cousin, Neji.

"That's enough," he said in his no nonsense tone. "You are going to get kicked out and it's only because we are here so often that this place hasn't called the cops."

Sasuke and Naruto stood there, panting, looking much worse for the wear with bruises and some slight bleeding. They glared at each other, but knew better than to lunge at one another again with Neji there. He was a very capable fighter.

Neji just pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. These guys were too much sometimes.

"Look, you two need to go home and cool off. Alcohol is just going to make things worse and you guys should probably get something on your faces if you don't want to swell up like elephants. Do you both have a way to get home?"

Both young men nodded, still looking at each other with narrowed eyes, though their anger had definitely lessened after their physical outburst.

"Good," said the Hyuga, "I'm going to walk both of you outside and stay until you are both on your way in separate vehicles. We don't need you starting anything again out there."

The Uzumaki and Uchiha just nodded again, before turning and walking towards the front door, ignoring all the stares and whispers from onlookers.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Hyuga Hinata was sitting at home having a comfortable night in. She was lounging around in yoga pants and a tank top and watching the BBC's Pride and Prejudice. After an emotionally draining day, all she wanted to do was snuggle up with some tea and watch something beautiful. Hanabi was staying over at a friend's so she had the run of the place to do and watch whatever she wanted.<p>

Suddenly her phone rang and Hinata found herself debating whether or not she really wanted to answer. When she saw it was TenTen, however, she decided it would be better if she did. After their long talk earlier, her friend was probably calling to check up on her. She paused the movie and put the phone up to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Oh my god, Hinata!" TenTen practically screamed on the other end, "You will never guess what just happened!"

Hinata heard the sounds of the nightclub in the background and assumed that no one was in the hospital or anything, or they wouldn't still be there.

"What happened, Ten?" she asked.

"Naruto and Sasuke just got into a fight!"

Hinata thought that maybe TenTen had had a little too much to drink. "TenTen, they always fight. They yell at each other at least once a week."

"No, no, Hina, they got into a real fight! A physical one! They went crazy and Neji had to pull them apart while I convinced the club not to call the police. Thank goodness we were at our regular place or those guys would definitely be in jail."

"Oh no!" Hinata cried, "Are they okay?"

"Yeah, they're a bit busted up, but it's nothing they won't bounce back from. You know those guys are resilient."

The kind hearted Hyuga let out a sigh of relief. Things tended to escalate quickly when the Uzumaki and Uchiha got into it. There had been multiple times in the past when they had knocked each other unconscious. However, the two friends had not had a physical altercation in a long while and she was afraid to ask what brought it on.

"Um, TenTen, do you have any idea why they were fighting?"

"Of course I do! That's why I called!"

Hinata did not like where this was going.

"I can't believe it, but you had two guys fighting over you! Seriously, they started arguing about you and it came to fisticuffs!"

"Fisticuffs, TenTen, really?"

"Come on, when do I ever get to use that word? But you are totally focusing on the wrong thing! The point is, you had two seriously handsome men duking it out over you! It's like something from television!"

Hinata was not focusing on the wrong thing. She had actually been trying not to focus on the fact that the two men had physically harmed each other over her. She felt so guilty!

"Um, TenTen, where are they now? Are they still there?"

"Oh, definitely not. Neji took them out and made them go home."

"Hmm, okay. I think I'm going to let you go, but thank you for calling me."

"No problem! I just had to let you know. Hanabi is going to go crazy when she hears."

Hinata smiled when she thought of her little sister's dramatic reaction.

"That will definitely be the case. Anyway, I'll let you get back to having fun."

"Okay, Hina, have a good night!"

Hinata wished her friend a good night and hung up. She stared at the paused screen for a moment before sighing and getting up. There was no way she was going to be able to just sit and watch her movie without doing something first.


End file.
